Wichita eagle., 1887-02-08

SANTA ANNA'S BRIDE.
A BEAUTIFUL, SHAeeILY DRESSED
GIRL, PLAYING WITH A KITTEN.

The Story of tho D;ctator's Second Wife.
Her Rich Warlrobe-A Lazy Lady.
A Lesson in Ncatness-Receiving a
Visitor.
When Gen. Santa Anna lost power and
prestige and was eXiled, his young wife
proved true and devoted woman. In
1874 the exiled hero, old, broken in health
and bowed in spirit, received permission
from the Mexican government to return
to his native land, and then his wife was
his chief solace and did all in her power
to alleviate his moral and physical suffer
ings The eX-dictator lived very plainly,
for the greater part OF his fortune had
been snuanGered ia the West Indies: those
who had fawned upon him IN ether days
utterly ignored him, and he was totally
neglected even by persons on whom he
had once conferred immense fayors AS
TO his f&vcrite generals and other military
chiefs many assumed G yirtuOus or pa
fri3tic Indignation and disclaimcd inter
course with a man who was a traitor;
All seemed 20 forget how wei and bravely
Gen. Santa Anna had fought against the
Americans in 1915.
LOLLlNG II 4 ROCKING CHAIR.
After Gen. Santa Anna died his family
recovered some Of his former possessions,
and his widow was comparatively
wealthy. She owned city residence
here and a pretty country seat in Tacu
baya. Her warGrobes were filed with
silk, satin and velvet dresses, her laces
alone constituted fortune, and she still
retained costly sets Of diamonds, pearls
and emeralds; but when the stimulus Of
the old generals ambition was with
drawn Mrs. Santa Anna became SO care
less, so inane that she had not energy
enough TO sustain the position she might
have held if possessed of any spirit.
Her apathy was not due to any regrets
for past rank or splendor. She was sim
ply lazy, and soon degeneratcd into a
nOncnity, and instead of opening her salon
TO those who respected her and fully APP
preciated her virtues, she received but a
few relatives and passed her days idly
lolling in rocking chair. Some two
years ago a Spanish lady, who was
really attached to Mrs. Santa Anna,
tried to arouse her from her oyster like
existence. One morning, when she found
her eX-highneSs in torn, soiled wrapper,
with her hair hanging down and her
feet thrust into old slippers down at the
heel, she said:
Lola, it is a shame for you to be SO
untidy"
Mrs. Santa Anna replied Il have no
person to dress for.
''NonSenSen' exclaimed her friend
"Iou should remember that you are the
widow Of one OF MeXico's most ilIustri-
Gus heroes. Allow me to give you one
lesson in neatneSS.h
what is it;' asked Mrs Santa Anna.
with "A languid smile.
LESSON IN NEATNEss.
az must be given in the p3rlor. = re-
sponded Sonora B., and, leading the
widow into the salon. she pointed TO the
portrait Of the deceased president. say
ing: Look at that proud face" then
stopping before n full length portrait of
her eX-highness, said: Look at YOUR
graceful figure, your beautiful face, those
magnificent jewels which you yet possess
and those almost regal robes, = then
quickly turning to a large mirror, added:
And there behold what you are nown'
Mrs. Santa Anna gazed at the figure in
the mirror, then replied; Yes. my
beauty has all gone"
NO" responded her friend: your
teeth are Sill beautiful, your hair is but
slightly changed, your figure is stu OK
celient, but You are so slGvenly that YOU
look worse than any Of your servants.
and yOu are SO INDECENT that if ycu do
not soon rouse yourself half Of your facul-
ties viii be paralyzed for lack Of eXer-
else"
Mrs Santa Anna rallied for while,
but about . year ago, when the writer
had occasion 10 see her, and had called
and waited some time, q woman in a
faded calico dress, having her head and
form enveioped in blue cotton rebosa,
such as servants and Indian women
wear, entered the parlor [ asked:
docs Mrs. Santa Anna know / am here?
Was my card given herr
The reply was: "Ah! I see You have
entirely forgotten me-" 1t was Mrs.
Santa Anna
Mortified at my own stupidity Iquicklv
replied: The parlor is a little dark; !
have not seen you for two years and then
you were dressed in black But in very
truth | had never seen the lady looking
quite 50 untidy. So little was Airs. Santa
Anna known, or rather so completely
was her very existence forgotten. that
when she was buried not long ago some
of the Mexican newspapers alluded to
her extreme old age although she
could not have been more than 50 or IS
years old. They evidently believed the
deceased was the presidents first wife.
who would have been at least so
City of McyciO Letter